Chinese zodiac · niú
牛
The Ox in the Chinese Zodiac
The patient force that finishes.
Personality and traits
The Ox is the second of the twelve animals — a yin sign whose fixed element is Earth (土), at home in winter. Traditional readings call the Ox steady, dependable, determined, honest, stubborn.
Strengths
- · Outlasts everyone
- · Builds things that hold
- · Quietly principled
Watch-outs
- · Rigid
- · Slow to forgive
- · Keeps too much inside
Ox years and their elements
Every Ox year carries a different Heavenly Stem, so a Earth Ox is not a Metal Ox. The year turns at Lìchūn (~February 4) — if you were born in January or early February, check your exact date with the free chart.
Compatibility
The Ox’s strongest traditional allies are the Rat 鼠, the Snake 蛇 and the Rooster 雞. The pairing that costs the most effort is the Goat 羊, which sits against the Ox’s grain — workable, but never free.
Lucky correspondences
Numbers: 1
Colors: White, Yellow, Green
Flowers: Tulip, Peach blossom
Directions: North, South
The Ox in 2026 — A year to steer
Ox has no fixed bond or clash with the Horse. The year neither carries you nor fights you. What you build this year is mostly what you choose to build.
Read the Ox’s full 2026 outlookQuestions
What years is the Ox in the Chinese zodiac?
Recent Ox years are 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021. Each carries a different element: for example 2009 was a Earth Ox year. Note that the zodiac year begins at Lìchūn (around February 4), not at Lunar New Year — January and early-February birthdays often belong to the previous animal.
What is the Ox's personality in Chinese astrology?
The patient force that finishes. Traditional readings describe the Ox as steady, dependable, determined, honest, stubborn — with strengths like outlasts everyone and builds things that hold, and watch-outs like being rigid and slow to forgive.
Who is the Ox most compatible with?
The Ox's strongest traditional matches are the Rat, the Snake, the Rooster. The most challenging pairing is the Goat — not doomed, but a relationship that costs more effort to keep aligned.
How is 2026 for the Ox?
2026 is the Yang Fire Horse year (丙午). For the Ox: Ox has no fixed bond or clash with the Horse. The year neither carries you nor fights you. What you build this year is mostly what you choose to build.
Your year animal is one third of the picture — the month and hour pillars complete it.